In a diverse American society, cultural exchange is often viewed as a practice that benefits all. Individuals are influenced by other cultures, adopting new styles and customs to make their own more interesting. While this may display appreciation for the group in question, some instances of exchange are considered disrespectful. This transition from constructive sharing to irreverent “borrowing” is known as cultural appropriation. It largely depends on direction of influence, and the term “appropriation” is typically reserved for occasions when the dominant culture uses aspects of a group that is or has been marginalized. It is deemed offensive because it increases the power imbalance between majority and minority cultures.
The question has become whether cultural elements should remain specific to their origin or be shared and developed. When does the “melting pot” become too melted? Objects considered sacred to one culture are sometimes treated as secular fashion accessories by another. Concepts are drawn from communities that do not receive the credit they deserve.
For many concerned by this issue, the problem is not so much in the actual exchange as it is in the lack of attention given to real individuals within the culture. The heritage of appropriated fashions may not be understood by those who use them, and the inclusion of these trends in pop culture cannot substitute for representation and appreciation of the people behind them.
Ball Bearings met with Carlos Mata, president of the Latino Student Union; Nikkole Wade, PR director for the Black Student Association; Haley Crane and Ghada Alnadi, president and vice president respectively of the International Ambassadors Association (Alnadi is from Saudi Arabia); Beth Messner, professor of communication studies; Chelsea Smith, president of the Social Justice League; and Alexus Cole, secretary of Ball State’s NAACP.
Ball Bearings: What is your definition of cultural appropriation?
Nikkole: I would define cultural
appropriation as taking an aspect from someone else’s culture and making
it kind of your own. I know it’s looked at as kind of negative in some
ways, but I think it also could be a positive way too.
Carlos: Yeah, pretty much.
Haley: For me, I think it’s when
someone takes a cultural aspect and they use it inappropriately and in a
negative fashion. An example would be Halloween costumes. You see
people use Native American headdresses and things like that, some things
that are sacred, and they use it in a kind of humiliating sort of
manner or in a way that it’s not supposed to be used.
Ghada: I agree with Haley. At the
same time I see it as – in the other side, other than the negative side
– in the positive side it’s a way of learning as well, to consider that
there’s a lot of people like that. Some people take it in a negative
way, some people take it in a positive way. I always see in the positive
aspect of it, but at the same time there’s a lot of negative view of
it.
Beth: There are a couple of key
features of it. I tend to adopt a definition that focuses on a majority
culture appropriating, maybe borrowing is another word for that,
cultural symbols, behaviors, texts that belong to a marginalized
culture. So that’s kind of my short and sweet definition, but obviously
there’s a lot that’s packed into that in terms of issues associated with
power and integrity and that type of thing.
Chelsea: It’s a really big topic,
and difficult to discuss as someone who is just learning about it. The
way that I see it is taking components from another person’s culture for
your own use without engaging in that culture.
Alexus: I would say cultural
appropriation is when the dominant culture takes a piece of a minority
culture and displays it in a way that is kind of disrespectful. They may
or may not realize it, but it’s usually disrespectful.
BB: The United States has often been called a melting pot.
Where is the line between cross-cultural influence and appropriation?
Nikkole: I think it’s a bad thing when it becomes a mockery.
Carlos: Especially during
Halloween. What happened with [University of Louisville] in which the
whole staff and president were wearing like a poncho and mustache and a
sombrero, mocking the Latino culture there. That’s when you go way
overboard, especially when we’re talking about the 1920s or 1910s when
white actors would put on black makeup to make themselves look like
African Americans. That’s when you step over the line.
Haley: I think the line is drawn
in the usage of these cultural artifacts, because, for example, we are
known for taking these aspects but when they’re used in a humiliating
fashion – you can look at Victoria’s Secret models, you can see like a
couple years ago they had, once again, the Native American headdress,
and rather than appreciating that culture and being knowledgeable, they
took that artifact and used it in a sexual manner. I think the main
thing is usage. When you look at kimonos, people use those sometimes in a
sexual manner rather than taking that culture, being educated on that
culture, and I think the big part is that it’s cultural appropriation
when someone doesn’t know about the culture but they take the thing, and
they don’t use it in the means it was supposed to be used.
Ghada: Yeah, when people take it
and they make fun of it but they don’t use it as an educational way. And
when they see it they’re like, “Oh, you guys do this.” I’m like “Yeah,
like, we’re the same exact thing but we do it in a different path.” I
feel like every culture does the same thing with tradition, society,
religion – everything, but each culture or each country takes it in
completely different paths. And that’s like where each person grows up
in that culture, and they see the other culture like, “Oh, it doesn’t
really matter if we really learn about it or anything.” But it really
does because you’re going to see that it’s exactly the same thing but in
a completely different way.
Beth: I don’t know that there’s a
clearly demarcated line. I really don’t. I think part of your question
has to do with assimilation, which historically we have seen happen with
immigrants coming to the United States. There has been a kind of
majority culture expectation that newcomers to our culture will
assimilate into American cultural patterns. And so when we do that I
think we’re looking at a slightly different type of thing than when
we’re talking about the majority culture borrowing the cultural patterns
and iconography of a minority culture. We’re talking about two
different directions. We’re talking about two different usages of power,
if that makes sense.
Chelsea: If you’re not engaging
in that culture or paying respect to it through whatever aspects of
their culture you are trying to take on, that’s where I see the negative
effects coming from. Essentially when it’s like stealing from a culture
without understanding the context of it.
Alexus: I think that the line
goes where you don’t feel comfortable telling someone that you’re doing
something from their culture. So like with Blackface, I’m under the
impression that nobody would be like, “Hey, I’m about to go do
Blackface!” Like no! That’s ridiculous. It would be different if the
conversation went like, “I want to be something..” – Like a lot of
people dress up like Kanye West. So it would be like, “Hey, can you help
me with my Kanye West costume?” instead of, “I’m just going to do
Blackface.” Like you’re not comfortable saying that. But you’re probably
comfortable saying, “I’m going to be Kanye West.” So the line is when
you know that it’s inappropriate but you still want to do it. That’s
where we should be standing up and saying “no.”
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